Covered Tour

ennsylvania hosts more covered than any other state in the nation and Chester County was home Pto over 100 covered bridges. Many of the covered bridges built in this area are of the Burr-type. In 1806, Theodore Burr, a carpenter, received a patent to build bridges.

Think back to a time when the bridges were built to accommodate the farmer, when children filled the bridges with snow after a storm so sleighs could travel thru and when suitors would take their time crossing the bridges in hopes of stealing a kiss under the cover of the bridge.

The Covered Bridge Tour Your trip begins in the center of Oxford. would not have been possible without the support Oxford is a charming town full of delicious of David Trainor of Edward Jones Investments, eateries, quaint retail shops and seeped in Rick Salameda of Harleysville National Bank, Barbara O’Dell, Carol Bobolts of Red Herring Design, history. It is one of the largest historical Ken Pienkos of Oxford Public Library districts in the state on the National Registry and the staff at Oxford Mainstreet Inc. of Historic Places. Follow the winding roads dotted with farms and travel back in time to www.oxfordmainstreet.org an era of stagecoaches, stolen kisses and the 23 South 3rd St. • PO Box 315 simple pleasure of wind through your hair as Oxford, PA 19363 you hear the clip clop of the horse hoofs.

Enjoy Additional Oxford Area Tours Oxford Village Walk - www,oxfordmainstreet.org Herr’s Factory Tour - www.Herrs.com OPENNSYLVANIA Oxford Covered Bridge Tour 30 Miles Plan to spend approximately 1-2 hours touring the Bridges. glen hope bridge Pine grove bridge Drive through the Rudolph & Arthur Bridge heading Continue over Glen Hope Bridge on Hickory Hill Road northeast on Camp Bonsul Road. In .5 miles you will for 1 mile. Turn left onto State Road for 1.5 miles. Make come to Lewisville Road. Turn right onto Lewisville slight right at Chrome Road. In 2.7 m iles Turn left at Road in .25 mile make slight right at Chesterville Road Barnsley Road and then quick right onto E. Christine (Rt. 841). Follow 1.6 miles to Lewisville Road where you Road (Rt. 272). Make right in 2.2 miles onto Baltimore will make a right. Stay on Lewisville Road for .7 miles Pike. Follow Baltimore Pike for .4 miles and make and take soft left onto Blake Road. Stay on Blake Road left onto Forge Road. Bridge will be approximately just over 1 mile and make right at Little Elk Creek Road. 3.2 miles. Little Elk Creek Road merges into Hickory Hill Road. Stay on Hickory Hill for about ½ mile to Glen Hope. Straddling Chester and Lancaster Counties, the Pine Grove Bridge is named for the nearby pines. Pine Grove was built in 1884 by Glen Hope Bridge was built in 1889 by Menander Wood and George Elias McMellen for $4,450. The 204’, two span bridge has long been 1 E. Jones for $1,767 using and spans 65’ over the Little Elk an instrumental traveling route over the Octorara Creek. Stage- Creek. In 1968 a large truck fell through the bridge deck causing coach travelers used the bridge in the late nineteenth century as Linton Stevens Bridge the county to reinforce the bridge with Steel stringers. In 1990, the a primary route between and Baltimore/Washington. Drive East on Market Street (Rt. 472) out of Oxford. bridge was rehabilitated after the roof burned. Go approximately 4.5 miles and at crest of hill, turn left at King Row Road. Follow King Row Road .8 miles to bridge. 4 return to oxford 3 Turn around and head back towards The Linton Stevens Bridge was originally built in 1886 by Baltimore Pike. Turn left and follow J. Deinthrome & Sons using the Burr Truss. The 102’ span over into the center of Oxford. the Big Elk Creek is in good condition. It is named after local 1 postmaster Linton Stevens of Hickory Hill who operated the Post Office out of his general store. This location first helda small , it was then replaced with an iron bridge in 1 796 841 1875, but suffered severe damage in the 1884 flood. It was then that the Linton Stevens Bridge was built. It was reconditioned in Spruce 472 Grove the mid 1990’s and remains a gem today. Octoraro 896 Creek 10 Rudolph & Arthur Bridge 4 Pine Grove OXFORD

Turn around at the Linton Stevens Bridge and head The Rudolph & Arthur Bridge was Bridge F o r g back towards Rt. 472. Turn left onto Rt. 472 and go originally built in 1880 by woodworker e

R Hickory Hill Rd. d . 1.1 miles. Rt. 472 will dogleg to the right, follow the Menander Wood and stonemason Newark Rd. road straight onto Camp Bonsul Road (follow bridge Richard T. Meredith for $2,334. This Start 1 e ik Oxford P 90’ spans the Big Elk Creek and has re Linton Stevens sign). The Rudolph & Arthur Bridge is .8 miles on o Covered tim Bal Bridge 2

been repaired twice due to flooding Bridge

Camp Bonsul Road. Rudolph & Arthur 1 Tour 472

in 1884 and 1915. “Between 1850 and Bridge Lewisville s Rd. 896 g 1909 a large dam above the bridge in w K o R site supplied power for a paper mill E. Christine Rd. Camp 2 .... Three generations of the Rudolph Bonsul Rd. Chesterville Rd. family were active in the paper mill operations. When the bridge was Chrome Rd. built in 1880 Charles Arthur was a State Rd. 472 841 member of the paper firm which 272

operated under the name of Rudolph Barnsley Rd. Glen Hope Blake Rd. Hickory Hill Rd. Bridge and Arthur.” From Covered Bridges 1 3 of Chester County, by Arthur E. James, Chester County Historical Society, 1976. 273 273 273 MARYLAND 213